Featured

Inspired by the works of Arthur C. Clarke, J.G. Ballard and Philip K. Dick, Infinite Summer sees Michael Lovett’s NZCA Lines “marry sci-fi futurism to personal intimacies” to produce what must surely be one of the funkiest apocalyptic concept albums of all time. Indeed, also featuring former Ash guitarist Charlotte Hatherley and drummer Sarah Jones (Hot Chip, New Young Pony Club), the follow-up to 2012’s self-titled debut may center on […]

Named after a term used for trained assassins he heard in a documentary on espionage, Skilled Mechanics sees trip-hop trailblazer Tricky assemble his own killer team for the most collaborative studio effort of his lengthy career. Some of those on board are no stranger to the world of Adrian Thaws, including regular vocalist Francesca Belmonte who lends her sultry tones to the eerie synth-balladry of “We Begin,” drummer Luke Harris […]

As you’d expect from a founding member of studious classical-electro outfit Clean Bandit, British-Ugandan vocalist/rapper Love Ssega certainly isn’t short on brainpower. Born and raised in South London, the 24-year-old graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, then made the brave decision to quit the aforementioned Grammy winners to finish his Ph.D. in laser sensing. Love Ssega (real name Ssegawa-Ssekintu Kiwanuka) is just as cultured as he […]

Judging by all the pre-release talk of shunning EDM, steering dance music back into a proper direction and making a piece of art, you’d expect Steve Angello’s second solo LP, Wild Youth, to be something of a game-changer. So it’s slightly baffling to hear that the Stockholm DJ has delivered the kind of unadventurous, generic and largely forgettable record he appears to be rallying against. Indeed, featuring guest appearances from […]

David Bowie, arguably one of the most influential figures in modern music for the past 40-plus years, died on Sunday, Jan. 10 after a battle with cancer. He was 69. While previous rumors of his death in years past were greatly exaggerated, the news has been confirmed by Bowie’s representatives and his son Duncan Jones (via Twitter). The following statement appears on Bowie’s official Facebook page: “David Bowie died peacefully […]

So after crowning Jamie xx’s “Loud Places” and Bob Moses’ Days Gone By as the greatest single and album of 2015 respectively, we now switch our attention to what we can expect to hear over the next twelve months in the world of dance/electronica. The first big album out of the blocks this year is Moth (Jan 22), the third album from alt-pop duo Chairlift, which judging by its first […]

Calvin Harris “18 Months”: Album Review

Fly Eye (2012)

If ever an artist’s Twitter account reflected their musical output, it’s Calvin Harris’. When he arrived on the scene in 2007 as a slightly awkward but intriguing pop star, he was prone to posting amusing stream-of-consciousness tweets that were in keeping with his oddball dance-pop sound. Five years later and his feed is full of banal promotional messages and complimentary retweets that suggest all the personality has been sapped out of him, a theory backed up by the utter mediocrity of his third album, 18 Months.

Indeed, it’s hard to equate the man who once invaded Jedward’s performance on The X-Factor with a pineapple on his head with the superstar DJ, perhaps second only to David Guetta in terms of ubiquity, that’s largely responsible for the dominance of the EDM movement. Having scored an incredible six Top 2 UK singles over the duration of its title, his decision to pander to the masses is obviously reaping its rewards. Harris himself has admitted that 18 Months is more akin to a Now That’s What I Call Music! compilation than a solo artist’s studio effort.

But by aiming straight for the jugular, Harris has also smoothed over all of the previously charming eccentricities that made him such an interesting prospect. “Iron,” “Mansion” and “Awooga,” the latter two of which are entirely instrumental, are joyless one-note attempts to placate the fratboy crowd. The Tinie Tempah-fronted “Drinking From The Bottle” is a generic retread of the “Pass Out” star’s trance-led efforts with Swedish House Mafia, and despite the best efforts of Ayah Marar, the formulaic synth-pop of “Thinking About You” sounds exactly like the JLS cast-off that it surprisingly is.

Elsewhere, Ellie Goulding is wasted on the anaemic techno of “I Need Your Love,” likewise Example on “We’ll Be Coming Back,” a hugely forgettable electro-by-numbers affair which sounds like it was probably knocked up in about half an hour. Additionally, “Here 2 China” fails to provide the same spark as Harris’ previous Dizzee Rascal collaborations, “Dance Wiv Me” and “Holiday.”

The album certainlyisn’t without its five-star moments, but unfortunately, every single one of them has already been in the public’s consciousness for the best part of a year. “We Found Love” virtually justifies Harris’ career alone, its hugely addictive synth-stabs, euphoric ravey build-up and Rihanna’s contrastingly bleak delivery producing one of the defining singles of the decade so far. Florence Welch adopts a similarly devastating approach on the impassioned squiggly electro of “Sweet Nothing,” while “Feel So Close,” one of the few tracks which doesn’t sound like it was conceived on a factory production line, suggests Harris should utilise his own melancholic tones more often.

18 Months will undoubtedly consolidate Harris’ world-conquering status, but by opting to focus solely on chasing hits, he’s robbed the record of any kind of identity whatsoever.

2.5 / 5 stars

Share and Enjoy

About the Author

Jon O'Brien's love of music began as a six-year-old after becoming bizarrely transfixed with the 80s poodle rock of Heart, Europe and Def Leppard. Switching his attention to pop icon Michael Jackson, he then became addicted to the UK Top 40, becoming a rather pointless walking Wikipedia of chart positions in the process. Driving his poor neighbors up the wall while learning to play the drums as a teen, he toyed with the idea of becoming a musician, but in studying Journalism at the University of Central Lancashire, he realized heÕd rather write about music than perform it. Since then, he's written thousands of reviews and biographies on everything from bubblegum pop to death metal, but electronica remains his main passion, with everything from Aphex Twin to Zero 7 in his spare room-consuming record collection. Jon resides in northwest England near Liverpool.